Back To Sikes Lake Under A Clear Blue Cloud-Free Sky

A cloud-free, clear blue sky has returned to my Wichita Falls location in Texas. After several days in a row, overcast, cold, windy and raining.

As you can see, via today's look at Sikes Lake, the lack of wind rendering waves has turned the lake into a giant mirror.

Methinks today was the most pleasant outdoor day yet this year. Multiple others were enjoying the return of the blue-sky norm.

Last night, as warned, the temperature dipped below freezing, as evidenced by the frost covering roofs for a short while after the sun arrived for its daily heating duty.

There is no apparent damage done by last night's likely extremely short freeze, which was barely below 32 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

I would think it highly likely that last night marks the last time the outer world freezes at my location, til the exit of Summer's chilly arrival of Fall.

It felt good to be outside endorphin-ing today, after several days of wandering Walmart being my aerobic outlet.

I think I may be addicted to endorphins and suffer withdrawal symptoms when I do not get my adequate daily dose...

Wichita Falls Saturday Anti-Trump Rally With New Stoplight

This Monday morning's Wichita Falls Times Record News, that being this town's one and only local newspaper, of sorts, a newspaper which mainly focuses on local sports, crime and the weather, had an article, with photo documentation, of Saturday's downtown Wichita Falls anti-Trump protest.

This was not much of an article of the reporting variety, reporting what was said, in speeches, or any interviewing of attendees. 

In the photo I screen capped from the front page we see no umbrellas. Other photos showed most attendees under cover of umbrellas. I opted not to participate due to the cold temperature, strong wind, and off and on rain.

I suspect Saturday's will not be the last of anti-Trump rallies. I likely will get other opportunities to participate. 

And on another note, making note of an example of what is deemed newsworthy in the local Wichita Falls newspaper, on the front page there was headline link to another article, with the headline of that article being...

New stoplight installed in downtown Wichita Falls

April Freezing Snow Weather Prediction For Wichita Falls

This morning of the first Sunday of the fourth month of 2025, it was to ALDI I ventured under a stormy sky.

Which you can see, photo documented above, looking north from the ALDI parking lot.

We have been dripping, downpouring, blowing hard, booming loud and experiencing way too low natural air-conditioning the past couple days.

As in I have had to switch my climate control system from COOL, back to HEAT.

And, as I arrived at the ALDI parking lot my radio informed me that tonight's "Freeze Warning" has been upgraded to "Chance of Snow".

In April.

In Texas.

I remember snow showing up late in March, in the lowlands of Western Washington, during the many years I lived there, but I do not remember snow ever showing up in the Washington lowlands in April.

Yesterday, Interstate 40, west of Amarillo, both lanes, east and west, had to be closed, due to snow.

I doubt anything that dire will be happening at my location, approximately 220 miles southeast of Amarillo.

But, with weather everywhere, of late, seeming a bit abnormal, I guess I should be ready to be snowbound...

April Showers Bring Wichita Falls Flowers Whilst Washington's Skagit Valley Floods With Tulips

I saw that which you see, above, this first Saturday morning of the 2025 version of April. A photo purporting to show May flowers brought about by the April showers we have been getting dripped on since this new month began.

Is that a field of Bluebonnets which are being photo documented representing May flowers? I don't know. I have not seen any bluebonnets, yet, this year, with my own eyes.

Meanwhile, on April 1, in my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, the month-long annual Tulip Festival has begun.

The Skagit Valley is just a bit more scenic, color-wise, and other-wise, than my current mostly flat, mountain free zone of Texas.

 Above and below are examples of what the Skagit Valley Flats look like this time of year.

I have not been up north in Washington, in April, since 2006. I do not recollect that we, at that point in time, ventured out onto the Skagit Flats to see the tulips.

Seeing the Skagit Valley tulips can be a bit challenging, particularly on weekends. There is a lot of traffic control, and attempts to manage the traffic, to some limited success.

There is no need to manage the traffic caused by those seeking to see the May flowers wrought by April Showers, at my current location.

I think the above photo, with the Mount Baker volcano looming on the horizon, is from a location near Beaver Marsh Road, near the Jones Family Compound, where Hank Frank, his dad, also known as my nephew Joey, Hank Frank's mom, also known as Joey's wife, Monique, and my little brother, Hank Frank's Grandpa Jake, have taken up residence.

Whatever Blluebonnets have managed to go into blooming mode likely suffered some damage last night when all hail broke loose. A loud thunderstorm began booming about two in the morning, lasting a couple hours, with one super burst of ultra noisy hail.

By morning it was plain to see the hail had knocked a lot of the leaves out of the trees.

This April 5 Saturday is being windy, rainy and cold. I think I shall forego going downtown this afternoon for the "Hands Off Our Democracy" protest...

Saturday We the People Want Hands Off Our Democracy In Downtown Wichita Falls

I previously made mention of wondering if Wichita Falls will join this coming Saturday's worldwide protests against the Trump Lunacy, in a blog post titled Final 2025 March Saturday At Sikes Lake.

Well, we now know there will be a protest in Wichita Falls on Saturday, with the theme being “We the People Want Hands Off Our Democracy.”

The protest Saturday will take place from 1 til 3 in the afternoon, at the park across the street from the building known as Big Blue, at the intersection of Scott Avenue and 8th Street.

I have not yet decided if I will be joining the protest...

No April Fooling Getting Wind Blown At Lake Wichita Park

It was to Lake Wichita Park I ventured on this first day of the fourth month of 2025.

The first day of April is being blustery at my North Texas location, with a cloud cover growing thicker, heading to predicted strong thunderstorms to begin booming later today.

I was not long out of my vehicle before quickly returning to remove the hat from atop my head, before a gust of wind could perform that service for me.

The Lake Wichita Park Veterans Memorial seemed sad to me, today, what with all the un-American nonsense going on. Arresting people without due process. Shipping the arrested out of the country to what amounts to being a concentration camp in El Salvador.

And as I was walking past the Veterans Memorial, listening to news on NPR, I heard a woman had been arrested in Georgia for not reporting a miscarriage. When will this insanity end?

 It has been quite some time since I have hiked to the summit of Mount Wichita. I had no moment of considering doing such today, what with it being hard to stay vertical whilst getting hit by wind gusts.

I suspect we are going to be having an exceptional stormy Spring, in multiple ways....

Marching Around Sikes Lake On Final Day Of March

On this final day of the third month of 2025, it was back to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured for a pleasantly temperatured walk around the lake.

Which would make that the Bluish Lagoon of Sikes Lake you see above, looking west from the west end of the lake.

Today the outer world is not scheduled to get too warm, only heating into the low 70s, as measured via the Fahrenheit temperature measuring method. 

A couple days ago the outer world turned HOT enough to cause me to switch my interior space's climate control from HEAT to COOL for the first time this year.

I have the A/C set to COOL to 80 degrees, which feels plenty COOL. The A/C has not turned itself on since that one HOT day, a couple days ago, due to the temporary return of natural air conditioning.

Ironically, well, maybe it is not ironic, more weird than ironic, maybe, but 80 degrees is also the temperature I set the climate control to when I want my interior space warmed up.

It will be a few months in the future, most likely, before I feel the need to warm up my interior space...

Final 2025 March Saturday At Sikes Lake

I have not much been in the mood to commune with nature the past couple days. Mostly due to being distracted by distractions during the time frame I usually do my nature communing.

But, on this final Saturday of the third month of 2025 I made my way to Sikes Lake to join the throngs enjoying the current heat wave, with the temperature today getting into the 90s, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

After the sun sets today a strong thunderstorm is on the weather menu.

I forgot to make mention of the foliage photo documented today at Sikes Lake. That is a Prickly Pear patch of cactus, getting near to being in bloom mode.

Subject change.

Years ago, on January 21, 2017, I drove to Sikes Lake, which, that day, was the launch location of the biggest protest march I have ever marched in.

I blogged about this in Wichita Falls January 21 Women's March.

Today, on Facebook, I read a post from Robert Reich, the former Secretary of Labor, advising those who want to take action, doing something in protest of the current state of America, to enter "April 5 demonstration near me" into whatever search engine you use.

So, I Googled "April 5 demonstration near me" and did not come up with any info about a demonstration in Wichita Falls, or near Wichita Falls. There were multiple websites about the April 5 demonstration, but nothing telling me where one near me might be.

Well, we have a week til the date of these world-wide demonstrations. I suspect something will come up, locally, before next Saturday...

Dodging Lightning Bolts & Big Raindrops To Get Wind Chilled At Lucy Park

It was to Lucy Park I ventured this final Wednesday of the third month of 2025, to commune with nature, after dodging lightning bolts and big raindrops, on the drive north.

As you can see, via the photo documentation of the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River, the sky no longer looked menacing by the time I got parked at the park.

This morning, when the sun arrived, the temperature was 81 degrees as measured by the Fahrenheit method. By the time I got to Lucy Park, a half hour before noon, the temperature had dropped to 70, again as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

That drop in temperature came with a strong chilling breeze.

Spring is noticeably springing green copiously, grass no longer brown, the leaf population rapidly growing.

I have yet to switch my interior space climate control from heat mode to cool mode. I almost switched yesterday when the outer world reached over 90 degrees for the first time this year, at my North Texas location.

But, the ceiling fans brought a sufficient chill, so no switch, yet to cool mode...

Sunday Not Swimming In Windy Sikes Lake With Snakes

On this next to last Sunday of the third month of 2025, it was to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured, joining the throngs enjoying trying to walk in a strong breeze blowing in from the Northeast.

So far, Sunday's wind does not seem to be generating dust clouds, leaving a mostly blue sky covered only by a little wispy clouding.

I know I have made note of it before, but today I was freshly struck by the seeming absurdity of signage forbidding swimming in Sikes Lake, along with advising that university approval is needed for any Sikes Lake boating, canoeing or kayaking.

I have been walking around Sikes Lake for years now and have never seen anything but birds and litter floating on the lake. Does this mean university approval is never granted, or that no one has any desire to float a boat on Sikes Lake?

I suspect the lack of boating is due to no one thinking it to be something anyone would want to do. What with the lake being shallow, and there being no boat launch locations. That and Lake Wichita is only a couple miles distant and has multiple boat launching locations.

 As for swimming. I can't imagine anyone would think that to be a good idea. Shallow Sikes Lake looks murky on a good day, and downright muddy after rain drains into the lake.

I have not gone swimming in a Texas lake since early this century, when I took a dip in Lake Grapevine, after mountain biking the Horseshoe Trail. That lake dip ended my Texas lake swimming due to an incident with what I thought was a water moccasin. All I saw was the head and that set me swimming fast to shore, where I looked out on the water to see I had been chased by a turtle, not a snake.

At that point in time a couple elderly gents were fishing from the dock I had jumped into the lake from. I told them I thought I was being chased by a snake, not a turtle. One of the elderly gents then told me that earlier that day they saw two water moccasins slither out from under the dock.

And thus, that ended me ever again swimming in a Texas lake...